“Despite its name, noir requires more than black, it requires white… and an infinite spectrum of greys.” (http://www.spinetinglermag.com/)

Noir has always meant mystery to me, a darkness that is compelling because of its understated elegance. I am drawn to the mystery of beauty and am fascinated by the idea that a simple shape or design can mesmerise us.

For me, the connection with ‘Noir’ started about 12 years ago when I designed the keystone pieces of this collection – the set of three triangular inside-out bangles. With these designs, I was awarded the honour of being one of the 30 winners worldwide of the highly prestigious World Gold Council Gold Virtuosi Awards (2002). The pieces were exhibited at the World Gold Council Gold Virtuosi Awards 2 Exhibitions, Vincenza (Italy), New York, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Cape Town (2002-2003).

Much of my inspiration is taken from areas of design other than jewellery. These include sculpture, architectural and industrial design fields. I have also been greatly enthused by traditional Northern African gold jewellery and the processes used in its production. I have always marvelled at the finely crafted body ornaments of, among others, the Akan goldsmiths (Ghana), the Peul goldsmiths (Mali) and the Baule goldsmiths (Côte d’Ivoire). They have a remarkable sense of design, which is geometric yet organic, fine yet colossal. These elements have influenced my design signature in their work. I would say that many of my pieces amalgamate the ‘feel’ of these jewels with a modern Western architectural sensibility.

My design process starts typically with a model-building phase, and not with a visualisation or drawing of the finished item on paper. I would start by taking a flat 2D shape cut from paper. Then I would manipulate it by twisting it, glueing its ends together, or placing many of these shapes together in one design. Once I find a specific shape successful, I aim to visualise its interaction with the body. The scale of the model is unimportant at this time, as it is only a visual interpretation of a 3D shape and can be scaled to any size to become a successful sculptural form or jewellery piece.

For me, this process creates designs, which exist as interesting sculptural shapes, meaning that they can be viewed from any angle and are beautiful as objects on or off the body. Polishing some surfaces and creating a matte or scratched texture on others enhances the multi-dimensionality of the shapes. Consequently, they become sculptures, whether worn on the body or not.

As I feel incredibly passionate about this collection, I aim to continue to grow it, producing many beautiful shapes as adornments.

(All these pieces can be produced in Sterling Silver plated with a heavy gold plating or in 14ct or 18ct yellow gold.)